Year 1 Science: Legs, wings, fins and tails
Part of the Year 1 Science what animals eat chapter. Chapter overview · whole chapter on one page · Download worksheet (PDF) · Answers (PDF)
Legs, wings, fins and tails
Animals have body parts that help them to move, find food and keep safe.
Legs help animals to walk, run and jump. A cow has four legs. A frog has long back legs for jumping.
Wings help birds to fly. A penguin uses its wings to swim.
Fins help fish to swim and balance. A goldfish has fins.
Tails help animals to balance. A cat uses its tail to balance. A fish uses its tail to push through water.
Key ideas
- Legs help animals to walk, run and jump.
- Wings help birds to fly.
- Fins help fish to swim and balance.
- Tails help animals to balance.
Method. Touch each one once and say one number for each.
- Count each one. Touch each one once, so you do not miss any.1, 2, 3, 4
- Look at the last number. The last number tells us how many there are.The last number is 4.
- Write the answer. There are 4 legs.
Check. Count again from the other side. You get 4 again. ✓
Watch out. Move each one to one side as you count it, so you do not lose your place.
Key words. A herbivore eats only plants. A carnivore eats only other animals. An omnivore eats plants and animals.
Method. Think about what each body part is for.
- Look at the question. We want the body part a fish uses to swim.fish swims
- Think about each choice. Fins help fish to swim and balance. Wings help birds to fly.fins = swim
- Write the answer. fins
Check. A fish has fins, not wings. ✓
Watch out. Wings are for birds. Fins are for fish.
Key words. A herbivore eats only plants. A carnivore eats only other animals. An omnivore eats plants and animals.
Method. Think about what wings are for.
- Look at the bird. A robin has two wings.robin: wings
- Think about the job. Wings help birds to fly.wings = fly
- Write the answer. fly
Check. Most birds use their wings to fly. ✓
Watch out. Not every bird flies, but most birds fly with their wings.
Watch out
Watch out: not every bird flies. A penguin has wings, but it uses them to swim.
Try it at home
With a grown-up, draw a bird, a fish and a dog on paper. Ask a grown-up to help you cut them out. Add wings, fins and a tail. Ask: What does each part help the animal to do?
Exam tip
Grown-up tip. Ask your child: “Which part does the bird use to fly? Which part does the fish use to swim?” Let them show you with their arms, like wings.
Exercise 5E Legs, wings, fins and tails
Key words. A herbivore eats only plants. A carnivore eats only other animals. An omnivore eats plants and animals.
Method. Think about what birds use to fly.
- Look at the gap. It asks what birds use to fly.fly
- Choose the body part. Birds fly with their wings.wings = fly
- Write the answer. wings
Check. An eagle has wings for flying. ✓
Watch out. Legs are for walking, and fins are for swimming.
Key words. A herbivore eats only plants. A carnivore eats only other animals. An omnivore eats plants and animals.
Method. Think about what fish use to swim.
- Look at the gap. It asks what fish use to swim.swim
- Choose the body part. Fish swim with their fins.fins = swim
- Write the answer. fins
Check. A goldfish has fins. ✓
Watch out. Wings are for birds, not for fish.
Method. Touch each one once and say one number for each.
- Count each one. Touch each one once, so you do not miss any.1, 2, 3, 4
- Look at the last number. The last number tells us how many there are.The last number is 4.
- Write the answer. There are 4 legs.
Check. Count again from the other side. You get 4 again. ✓
Watch out. Move each one to one side as you count it, so you do not lose your place.
Key words. A herbivore eats only plants. A carnivore eats only other animals. An omnivore eats plants and animals.
Method. Think about jumping.
- Look at the frog. A frog has long back legs.long back legs
- Think about the job. Long back legs push the frog up and far, so it can jump.legs = jump
- Write the answer. legs
Check. Frogs do not fly, so they do not need wings. ✓
Watch out. A frog uses its legs to jump.
Key words. A herbivore eats only plants. A carnivore eats only other animals. An omnivore eats plants and animals.
Method. Think about what a penguin does with its wings.
- Look at the penguin. A penguin is a bird with wings.penguin: wings
- Think about the wings. Penguins use their wings to swim, not to fly.swim, not fly
- Write the answer. False
Check. Penguins are birds that cannot fly. ✓
Watch out. Not every bird flies.
Key words. A herbivore eats only plants. A carnivore eats only other animals. An omnivore eats plants and animals.
Method. Think about what legs are for.
- Look at the cow. A cow has four legs.four legs
- Find the job. Legs help a cow to walk.walking
- Write the answer. walking
Check. Walking uses legs. ✓
Watch out. Legs are for walking, running and jumping.
Key words. A herbivore eats only plants. A carnivore eats only other animals. An omnivore eats plants and animals.
Method. Think about what wings are for.
- Look at the eagle. An eagle has two wings.two wings
- Find the job. Wings help birds to fly.flying
- Write the answer. flying
Check. Eagles fly with their wings. ✓
Watch out. Wings are for flying.
Key words. A herbivore eats only plants. A carnivore eats only other animals. An omnivore eats plants and animals.
Method. Think about what fins are for.
- Look at the goldfish. A goldfish has fins.fins
- Find the job. Fins help fish to swim.swimming
- Write the answer. swimming
Check. Goldfish swim in water. ✓
Watch out. Fins are for swimming and balancing.
Key words. A herbivore eats only plants. A carnivore eats only other animals. An omnivore eats plants and animals.
Method. Look at each animal.
- Check the body part. The eagle, robin and duck are birds with wings.birds = wings
- Find the one that is different. A shark is a fish, so it has fins, not wings.shark = fins
- Write the answer. shark. It is a fish, so it has fins, not wings.
Check. Three of the four are birds. ✓
Watch out. Look at the animal group as well as the body part.
Key words. A herbivore eats only plants. A carnivore eats only other animals. An omnivore eats plants and animals.
Method. Think about what the legs are for.
- Look at the legs. The back legs are long and strong.long back legs
- Think about the job. Strong legs push the frog up and forward, so it can jump a long way.jump far
- Write the answer. Long back legs help a frog to jump a long way.
Check. Frogs use their legs to move. ✓
Watch out. The legs help the frog jump, not walk slowly.
Key words. A herbivore eats only plants. A carnivore eats only other animals. An omnivore eats plants and animals.
Method. Look at each animal in the picture.
- Look at the cat. A cat uses its tail to balance.cat: balance
- Look at the goldfish. A goldfish uses its tail to push through water.goldfish: push
- Write the answer. cat
Check. The goldfish uses its tail to swim. ✓
Watch out. A tail helps with balance and with moving.
Key words. A herbivore eats only plants. A carnivore eats only other animals. An omnivore eats plants and animals.
Method. Think about how fish move.
- Look at the fish. A fish has fins and a tail, and no legs.fins and tail
- Use the facts. Fish swim with their fins and push with their tail.fins and tail
- Write the answer. No. Fish swim with their fins and tail.
Check. A fish does not walk on legs. ✓
Watch out. Fish do not use legs to swim.
Key words. A herbivore eats only plants. A carnivore eats only other animals. An omnivore eats plants and animals.
Method. Think about what fins do.
- Think about the job of fins. Fins help a fish to swim and balance.swim and balance
- Predict what would happen. Without fins, the fish would find it hard to move through the water.hard to swim
- Write the answer. It would find it hard to swim and balance, because fins help a fish to swim and balance.
Check. Test your idea: think of a paper fish with and without fins. ✓
Watch out. A prediction is a sensible guess that we can check.